Republic of Texas
The very first former state to secede, Texas's independence went into effect January 1, 1930. Since then, it has quietly but noticeably pursued a program of expansion, improving its military and eying its neighbors lands. Internally, Texas suffers from a lack of a true center - Austin claims priority as the home of governance, while Houston's population is nearly six times larger, with the combined areas of Dallas and Fort Worth more populous still. Foreign Relations Texas's foreign relations are dominated by its future plans of conquest more than any past relationships. French Louisiana is weak in its isolation, and of course Texans have been coveting the lands of the Five Tribes Territory for almost a century now. The People's Collective and Dixie are less tempting targets for the time being, but Texas must maintain a strong military simply to defend its borders against them. Attacking Arixo would, in honesty, likely weaken their border with Mexico. Fortunately, Texas's southern neighbor has largely kept its border closed, and while the two states may squint at each other over that line, neither is necessarily interested in expanding across it in the near future. In short, Texas has no allies, but nor does it have any sworn enemies - other post-American states view it warily, and it views most of them as future prey. Recent Events The Massacre of College Park will be remembered alongside the Alamo in Texan history, or at least that's what the president said in his speech the next day. While the truth of that dark day will likely never be revealed to the public (they hardly need to know what those scientists were up to at A&M), it is public knowledge that French agents operating out of Louisiana were responsible. In truth, this gave Texas the just cause it needed to strike east without fear of organized, large-scale reprisal from other nations, North American and otherwise. Troops are mobilizing to invade Louisiana, and most experts expect that Texas won't stop at the borders of Dixie or Five Tribes Territory once it gets moving. Magic and Demographics There have been serious attempts to create a state-controlled Qigong school, though the potential success of such a venture is thus far unknown. Of course, out in the desert, one can find mystics and shamans of all stripes (some more sincere than others), though the possibility of Texas somehow using these individuals productively is... debatable. The population of Texas is mostly human and epesi, with just a few other races in the larger cities. Undead are not terribly common, though ghouls and skeleton champions are occasionally found joining the militia to fuel their taste for combat. (Others, of course, simply turn to banditry in those areas where the militia is more busy engaging other threats). Outside of the militia, of course, the less controlled areas of the state leave room open for gunslingers and wanderers seeking to protect the common people, often monks, paladins or rangers who refuse to join what they see as an overly aggressive state militia. Category:Politics Category:Geography Category:North America Category:Former US